Spend about 5 seconds scrolling through my Instagram feed or quilt patterns and my love of the Star quilt is quickly made apparent. This is not a recent love, it goes way back. So let's start at the beginning.... (And by beginning I mean before Montana was even a state.)

A very brief history of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation

As I said in my Big Sky Star blog post, I grew up north of Wolf Point, Montana which is the largest town located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation on the Plains of northeast Montana (shown in red on the map). The reservation, which is approximately 80 miles long and 40 miles wide, was established in 1871 as the home to the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes. In 1908, the Fort Peck Allotment Act was passed. This Act allotted eligible Indians 320 acres of grazing land, as well as set aside land for school and church use and the Burlington Northern railroad. A few years later, unallotted land was made available for settlement by non-Indian homesteaders. [This is where my family history in this area begins.] Three out of four sets of my great-grandparents were homesteaders in this area. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres to US citizens on the condition that they live on, cultivate, and improve it. After 5 years, they could then "prove up" and obtain a deed for the land. 

My great-grandparents' homestead in 1923 north of Frazer, Montana.

Where Star Quilts Come In

In the late 1800s/early 1900s, missionaries from the Dakota Presbytery introduced the art of quilt-making to the tribes on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Native women eventually made the Star quilts their own by using colors and designs that were traditional to them. According to tribal historians, star quilts were used as a cultural replacement of the buffalo robes which were quickly disappearing due to over-hunting. Just as buffalo robes were valuable gifts of honor, the star quilt became the honored gifts in Indian culture.

Today, the star quilt remains one of the most honorable items a family can give or receive. Giveaways of star quilts are held at pow-wows, basketball tournaments, memorials, and other events. I was exposed to these give-aways at high school basketball tournaments where Indian basketball team members would honor players or coaches on other teams, referees, teachers, and others by giving them a Star quilt.

Photo credit: Poplar Star Quilt Give Aways' Facebook page

As you can see in the photo above, no two quilts are alike. It is rare that a Star quilter makes the exact same quilt twice.

For more on the current day Star Quilter, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series: Star Quilts on the Northern Plains of Montana